When I was a kid (back in the day.......) my Mom put everything in the dirt and planted right over it, as her father , grandfather (from Italy), brothers & sisters did. It worked well. Go Clamming or have Shrimp for dinner? Yep ,shells & heads went in the dirt. We had a guy in the neighborhood that fished a couple of times a week, and he would always bring her some "trash" fish. He also saved the bones & heads from fish he filleted. It all went under and around the plants. Fish is excellent for citrus trees. Thanks so much for freely sharing your knowledge with us. You are reminding me of things I had forgotten about.
I see I got my 'automatic thumbs down' from some hater, lol. Thanks for adding to my TH-cam stats! FYI - thumbs down means TH-cam thinks the video is stirring people up, so the algorithm promotes the video more.
I haven't figured out what it is with thumbs down people lol. But every single video, and I've watched a lot of them!, every single video that I've ever watched on TH-cam has at least 10 thumbss down so I don't think it's personal some people are just like that lol.
@@karenlatham4053 Well, sometimes I post a 10 minute video and before anyone can even watch 10 minutes of it, there's a thumbs down, lol. Sad little people who are lashing out like children, that's all. :-)
You are really adding to my limited knowledge lol. Been gardening for about 8 years and not been doing some things right. Thank you for taking the time to share your learning with us
I would avoid placing in the compost pile a few plants such as garlic, onion, rhubarb leaves, and potatoes leaves. onion and garlic cause the compost to stink, rhubarb may poison microbes living in the compost, and potato leaves quite often have viruses which if spread in the garden, may destroy all potato crops, so you won't be able to plant potatoes for 4-5 years.
We copied your compost 3 bin design. Having cleared our old neglected garden to start fresh we had a fair amount of material to add to our compost bin. We added some cardboard and paper. The odd egg box and shells plus the usual potato and other vegetable scraps from my kitchen. We turned it over yesterday to add air and was very surprised how well its already broken down in such a short time. It was lovely and warm in the middle so i guess were doing something right. Were going to follow the next stage and add some more unusual ingredients. I didnt know you could add smoothies chicken stock and cooked veggies. Might as well chuck it in and see what happens. Thanks so much for all your advice. Before now we would of bagged everything up and taken all this material to the local recycling centre and used up loads of plastic bags fuel in the car and lots of time that we could of spent gardening. Now we throw it in the compost bin and walk away. The added bonus will be a large amount of rich compost we wont have to buy.. wish we had know all this info years ago. So pleased i found your videos. You have helped us a lot and our little veggie garden. Thank you
Thank you Nicola for the encouraging words and sharing your experiences. I'm very glad you are gardening and that something I have done is useful to you. You can compost those more unusual things but they need an active pile to put them in or you will get the rotting stench. That's the key to minimal smell - hot compost. Thanks for taking time to share. :-)
This video is a life saver! I just built the same pallet compost bins as an upgrade with a vague idea doubting myself and you answered questions I didn’t even knew I had!
Another great video Mr. Scott. Compost is great stuff to have. Love how you do it your way and it works for you. Proof is in your videos. Keep up the good work buddy!
This is next on my list.i had 2 loads of wood chips brought in last fall & it's a rich black soil.my garden is fluorishing.makes me happy.ty lol your dog
Another great video! :) Just to make something a bit more clear: A 30:1 ratio between carbon and nitrogen doesn't mean you have to put 30 times more browns than greens into your compost. Even fresh grass clippings have a 20:1 C to N ratio. Thus, the desired ratio is not that difficult to achieve. Also, a lof of the carbon will get used in the process so the final compost will have a ratio of about 15:1 C to N.
I love your videos and I especially liked this one. Compost is the basis for all my gardens and potted plants. I rarely add anything else other than water. Many, many years ago I became intrigued with the idea of using compost tea. I used both aerobic and anaerobic approaches. I had buckets of stinky anaerobic compost in various parts of my garden, along side several buckets with air pumps and ingredients such as molasses and beer. I did this for several seasons. One day, my wife (a non-gardener) asked me to explain how this compost tea worked. After I gave her the explanation, she then asked me something like, "but how do you KNOW it works?? I think she was tiring of the smell. But from her comments I could tell she wasn't convinced. To satisfy her, I agreed to reserve two of my eight raised beds to "non compost tea" for two seasons and do a comparison. The result? Well, I lost the debate. Good lesson for me. Now I challenge all my gardening practices and I've found it has made me a simpler gardener. Gardening is all about different strokes for different folks. What works (or doesn't) for me may (or may not) work for you. I still kinda wish that compost tea worked for me like it does for so many others. Cheers.
Hi Mr. Black Gumbo new subscriber I am now staring up my potted kitchen garden and I love all your videos. Great informative stuff you show. You dont worry about the haters they will hate you just keep making great videos. Love from Trinidad and Tobago ❤❤🇹🇹
Your dog Phoebe loves water from a hose as my dog Kiri. I chuckle seeing Phoebe bite at the water. 😀 Thank you for your video on composing. Very much helped me understand it better. Lots of things I can put into my compost I didn’t know one could. I enjoy your videos!
Thanks for your advice. I inherited about 80 gallons of used compost and amended it. When some of our annuals died, my wife (an accomplished horticulturist) said that the potting soil that I made was too heavy and holding too much water. Almost all of the organic materials are gone, so I plan to blend it 50-50 with composted pine bark.
Great video. I 've made the stinky compost but didn't know you could make it from finished compost, and in just a few days!! And that you could use it in turn, to supercharge your compost!!! Woo hoo!
Something about composting your sermons makes me chuckle. We had an old preacher friend who said his sermons were like baloney--good anywhere you cut it off. lol
I've buried meat scraps in pumpkin pits and they should give my winter pumpkins a great boost. Good to meet a fellow composter, thanks for watching our video!
@@ScottHead Man u r amazing. Well explained. I m gonna try for sure. Ur videos encourage me to do more gardening. ThankS alot Do u have video for making raise beds? I love to see how u convert ur back yard into a garden😍 😊😊
Thanks for the great info and for the comic relief (your pup REALLY likes that water spray!). I've watched a couple of your videos now and you have a new subscriber 😊
I like these videos - thanks for sharing. I started composting this year (saved all my maple leaves), use my lawn cuttings and bam! got some heat going - I use a couple of Geobin's that OYR uses - they work great. Simple design, and they don't look to bad either. I'm finding hard to compost a lot of our kitchen scraps because my family takes the easy way out and usually throw their food scraps in the garbage, so half the battle for me is getting the family to put their scraps in our little compost container... I just can't believe how easy making compost is, I wish I would have started a long time ago. Thanks again for making these videos and sharing your experiences.👌
Thanks for commenting, and yes, getting the family on board and changing habits just takes time. I found a banana peel in the trash the other day, and had to fish it out, lol. My wife is 100% on board and enthusiastic, so for me its not as hard these days. Took some time though. :-)
110F outside and 130F in the compost pile, sounds about right! Good thorough description and explanation of your methods, thanks! No rules, compost happens! I should use more junk mail and paper towels for carbon sources. I'm that weird guy that goes around snagging everyone's brown bags full of leaves every fall. I load up my SUV with them and bring them home. I shred them down with the mower into almost a powder, store them in plastic bags and use them in the chicken run and compost piles as needed until about this time of year when I run out. So Summer becomes this thick layer of grass clippings until late October rolls around.
It was so hot this summer, I went to check my compost & it was bubbling!!! It was way to wet, I added some dirt out of the yard & stirred it up. Now I notice that it's really wet again....I'm gonna do like you & add some paper to it. Thanks for the video!
I have a dirty little secret lol 😆. One of my husband's friends has started dumpster diving... At Aldi, lots of organic produce is being thrown out... Apparently here in Tyler Texas it's not illegal to dumpster dive as long as it's not fenced or doesn't say no trespassing. 😝 my husband went with and he comes home toting like six very large boxes worth of produce in different stages of rotten.. So I spent a few days chopping stuff up and layering it with leaves and brush from our yard. It's pretty cheap compost pile lol. This is my first actual compost pile so I wasn't sure how often I'm supposed to turn this stuff.
Great source of compost material! I just turn when the heat starts to drop a bit or whenever I have the unction to do so. I have an Aldo nearby, might have to drive back there and see what is available for free. :-)
@@ScottHead by the way , it seems that they have a big dumping every two weeks here. Our friend goes out there at 9:30 every two weeks. All the employees are getting what they want and then our friend gets what he wants to feed his dogs. I guess you could ask or just test it.. I wouldn't want to gather stuff that's been sitting out in the heat and what not you know.
You are so brave with your compost. I "clean compost" but out in the open ground. I also need lots of dirt. I dont like buying it. I have a leaf compost and a woodchip compost. Eggshells and coffee grounds waiting in the wings to add later to the garden. Great videos!
Ok, learned a lot! Still not sure I am up to composting. I live 12 miles from nearest town, have exotic birds who get fresh fruits, veggies, & grains mash every day - which I feed leftovers to the deer, so will probably continue to purchase prepackaged compost materials but really enjoyed your watching your approach to composting. Thank you!
I have a balcony garden and I found a COOLER WITH WHEELS works great! Plus it has a drain spout for the “compost tea” I have earthworms in there too so I just prop the lid up a little so it can get air and then put a thin cloth over the hole where the drain in (on the inside so no wormies get stuck and it filters the water for me) it’s easy to move and I have it under a table. The only KINDA HARD THING is getting under the spout to catch the water - I use an oil catch pan…
Awesome advice! I will put my compost into a wheel barrel and then drown it with water. 2 things happen: 1. It will get out all the creepy-crawly 's that I don't want in my garden bed (I try to save as many worms as possible first). 2. Makes awesome compost tea. However I do have a comment about your potty mix. I've only recently discovered that peat moss is in unreplaceable resource that we are using up drastically. Europe and I think some other countries have banned the use of it. I now use coco cir (coconut fiber) instead of peat moss. Works just as well. Save our peat moss bogs :)
I have a huge pot with a makeshift lid. At the end of the season, I dump my used soil into it and add kitchen scraps and paper over the winter. I cover the scraps with soil and by spring...Presto! Rich potting soil.
Hey Scott! Another great video. Thank you! I noticed that we have that very same little crock compost container for the kitchen... we also have that same dark green wagon. 😂 Great minds and all...
@@ScottHead yep. We have to empty the crock daily, but I still like it. I cut carbon filters to fit inside the lid from an extra one from a HEPA whole room filter. Love the wagon too! It is SOOO handy!
I like to use my paper shredder on paper, junk mail and light cardboard (that cleans the shredder teeth too!) for brown dry stuff in our compost. I also found black soldier fly grubs love stuff like oil or protein, so they'll handle a lot of stuff people tell you not to use. I haven't been including bones or animal waste, but do include aged soup/casseroles. Before the quarantine in March, I was collecting 5 gallon buckets of coffee grounds from some of our local cafes - this is fine grind moist stuff. Similar to grass clippings, I found I gotta mix with dry stuff to break it up.
Scott, I have a very small area, and I'm enjoying your comments on how to amend this very poor subdivision topsoil that the builder left for us to dream about planting. I have about 20 fig tree rootings going including four that are fully leafed out. My wife wants me to plant a small above ground garden area in the back for a few vegetables. I am already sold on above ground planing techniques like those you use with your cement blocks; I've done in before with heavy boards and fill dirt and fertilizer. What is the best thing I can do this winter to prepare for next spring? (I'm doing my figs in 7-10 gallon buckets for a year or so.) Cardboard has worked well for me in the area from which we moved a couple of years ago. We live in the Memphis, TN area.
You can lay down cardboard directly where your garden will go and cover it with some soil. The cardboard will smother what is growing there and will decompose over time. Build your raised bed right on it. :-)
2 down thumbers? 🧐 mmmmkayyyy... some people are just odd ducks I guess .. never heard the advice “if you have nothing positive to say,just say nothing?” Your dog is a bit crazy with that water chomping ... 😂
A very good addition to compost is soil added on top of a layer of dry organic matter covered with wet organic matter the soil keeps the compost from stinking. The compost is built up each time adding a good layer of dry matter then wet matter and than soil just to cover the pile. Microbes from the soil will speed up the process of breaking up the compost. In cold climates, might cover with a dark tarp. It helps with heating the pile so the microbes start working faster and the whole process will go faster.
I have been composting in 20ltr buckets since long and always have compost available. It take 2.5 months in spring and summer for me to fully compost and save it for next year use.
It really is a science. Ive been using worm bins for composting the kitchen scraps but after about 8 months theres only 2 bins of worm compost, which I cannot wait to use finally. But I was afraid to put scraps in the leaf pile because of varmints!! Even if I use fish fertilithe raccoons come from somewhere! But I guess I can bury it under the leaf pile? What if it doesn't get hot? Also how long does it take? Just when it looks like dirt? And can I use fireplace ashes to put in compost? Thank you.
In my garbage can composting container I've taken a 4' pic pipe and drilled holes in it and stuck it in a couple of places to help aerate the pile works rather well.
Great info. I've tried for a couple of years to compost in 35 gallon trash cans. I've hole sawed big holes for air. My piles start to get hot (110F) but then cool down. I dump and remix and repeat. And I always get Black Soldier Fly grubs. Once the BSFs show up, the pile gets very wet and no longer heats up. The BSFs make fast work of any added food scraps and the pile never stinks and I can use the result in my garden but I'd really like to get fluffy compost. So my question: How to I avoid getting the BSFs? Do open piles have less of an issue? Do I need a bigger pile that gets hotter? (Ok Questions :-)
I don't think there is a way to avoid them, but they are actually helping even if the pile stalls out. They will be gone in a while and you can re-start the pile. I know the stink is an issue.
I'm enjoying your videos. And, just getting started. Is it possible to compost in a covered metal barrel or garbage can? Do you think by rolling the can around several times would be like turning the compost? I live in southern Nevada and I don't think heat will be a factor except for winter months. And, winters here are very mild. Thank you. I hope to hear from you.
Yes, you can easily compost in a trash can, I did for years but never turned it. It was slower to compost than turned bin, so your idea of rolling it sounds pretty good.
Sorry to bother you. I am not in close proximity to the garden but had tried saving food scraps which ended up in a 5 gal. Pail. Well it surely decomposted and probably smells as good as your fish compost bucket. Now, should I water this down further and add to the compost or watered down into the garden? I never thought it would decompose to that state. How do I put it to best use? Thank you for your education and answers.
Yeah dilute it down a bit. If it has no water in it already, make a compost tea, fill the bucket wth water and let it sit a few days. Then use that tea. Some do 10 parts water to one part compost brew, some do 5:1 Depends on how rich you think it is.
Depends on how fast you need it done. I really should turn this pile into the next bin now and start a fresh pile of coarse stuff. Haven't had the energy to do so yet with the heat. :-)
Scott I live in the hot Mojave desert and made a compost barrel from a 55 gal plastic drum. As the weather is heating up I'm wondering if I should move my composter into the shade or just let it bake in the sun. Can you fill me in?
I've watched your videos for a while now and really enjoy them. I even had the opportunity to pass on the Graze On information to a lady whose husband uses it. In other videos, you have 3 compost bins. Why? Can compost tea be made from incomplete compost? We have access to a lot of large, flat cardboard. Will it shed water enough to cover the bin when it rains a lot?
I have three bins for a progressive compost cycle. The idea is to turn one bin into the other, add fresh material to the open bin, and after three turns the compost should be finished. Hope that makes sense. I only use two these days.
Hello Scott. This was a great video. How often to you turn your compost? Do you turn within the same bin or do you move it over to an open bin putting the new on the bottom? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Since I generally only tap into my compost once or maybe twice a year, I turn it in the same bin when I notice the temperature getting low. Active compost usually happens only on the top half, everything below is done. I'll scrape off the top coarse unfinished compost when I need some, and sift the finished compost ino my wagon. Having a big tarp is real handy here o put the unfinished compost on. When the unfinished stuff goes back into the bin it makes a nice inoculant for the stuff that goes in through the rest of the year. I usually do 1 year cycles, I'm no really into speedy compost, but do like to get a hot pile.
Just watched 3 videos from you and they are so informative. Thanks. For composting, is it safe to use grass cuttings if we are using weed killers on the grass?
I would avoid grass with weed killers, especially if the weed killer has clopyralid, picloram, triclopyr, or aminopyralids in it. Most weed killers target dicot (broadleaf) weeds, while grass is a monocot and is left unharmed. The problem is that most of what we want to grow in our garden is broadleaf, and any persistent or residual weed killer will stunt or kill your crop. Personally, I would not use it, but if I did need to do so, I'd age the resulting compost a year or so.
Scott. I liked and subscribed. Been watching your videos all morning. I haven't found anything on your videos about using human urine in your compost or on your garden. Do you use it. ?
Hey! I have 3 metal bins once used in a cloth factory. The wire is 4 gauge and has openings 2"x 4". The bottom does not sit on the ground, it is probably 3 or 4 inches off the ground. My question is this: does the compost have to touch the ground? I am sure some of it is breaking down and touching.
No you don't have to compost on the ground. I do because it helps me in my situation to get life up fropm the native ground and to improve that clay down there so I can some day plant in it.
I have big 4 compost bins , I am finding difficulties turning it, as result decomption delaying and I have to buy copost. T urning with big garden fork hard, is there any ea sy methord and way . Thanks.
Awesome video! Do you have any ideas on how to easily turn the compost in the pallet bins? Also do you add tomato vines to your bins and do you chop them before you add them?
Take the front off to get a real thorough turn. I do compost tomato plants, and usually just rough chop them. I don't compost them if they were blighted.
I love composting too. We live in the city and our backyard is small and narrow however that will not stop me from having plants and vegetables and my compost. Oh I wish I can have a big compost like yours maybe someday, lol!!! I use ordinary plastic containers from Walmart and huge trash containers and that seems to work for me. It’s mostly cold composting but hey in few months or so I have ready organic stuff for my containers and small raise beds. What’s the name of your dog- she’s just way too playing with the water.
After watching this, I have started a bin...it's only a 10 gallon locking rubbermaid container but it's all I had on hand. Question to you. I've read that you should not turn for at least 4 weeks. What do you recommend? Should I be turning more often? Thanks!
Let it get warm inside, give it several weeks to do so, then turn it. There's no set time, you just need it to be warm inside (well, hot, not just a little warm).
I use a paper sack to collect the mail that is not important. I shred them and I also burn them in my fire pit. I put the potash in the compost bins and also sprinkle it around the lawn
It has rained a lot on my compost many times. And I got good works in it. But I get magets compost in mine too, but I am new at this I think that is normal but not sure if it is ok or not 😬 . Can you please let us newbes know? Thanks.
Yes, maggots and worms and various creatures are just fine in the compost pile. They actually help break down the material much faster than the bacteria. And then, when they mature, the maggots fly away as flies. The Circle of Life Goes On.
If you pay attention to layering nitrogen and carbon you can get compost in a couple of months. I strongly recommend David the Good's book "Compost Everything." Good how-to manual on compost.
If i made those wire compost bins like the one you showed can i still put in kitchen scraps in it? How long does compost need to sit before turning it? And is compost enough of a NPK that i wouldnt have to give my plants any other store bought fertilizer?
You can, I'd put kitchen scraps in the middle of the compost pile. And yes, if you have a diversity of materials going in,it can be sufficient to feed a garden by itself. Toss some clay in your compost too for mineral content, and if you live near a beach, get some seaweed for the great micro-nutrients and minerals it accumulates.
@@ScottHead thank you! You know your the only youtuber that has answered those questions for me. Making compost is still just a little bit confusing but youve helped clear up a few basics for me. So many people have different views on it, ways to make compost bins. It gets to be a headache watching all the dos and donts and "make this its better then that". You seriously have the best channel out there by far!!!
No One:
Scott Head: Half eaten corn dog
LMAOO. Man I just love your no BS approach to life.
When I was a kid (back in the day.......) my Mom put everything in the dirt and planted right over it, as her father , grandfather (from Italy), brothers & sisters did. It worked well. Go Clamming or have Shrimp for dinner? Yep ,shells & heads went in the dirt. We had a guy in the neighborhood that fished a couple of times a week, and he would always bring her some "trash" fish. He also saved the bones & heads from fish he filleted. It all went under and around the plants. Fish is excellent for citrus trees. Thanks so much for freely sharing your knowledge with us. You are reminding me of things I had forgotten about.
I see I got my 'automatic thumbs down' from some hater, lol. Thanks for adding to my TH-cam stats! FYI - thumbs down means TH-cam thinks the video is stirring people up, so the algorithm promotes the video more.
Very nice video and great info for many. don't let a hater bother you at all good man..
Awesome
Should we start thumbing it down then? LOL
I haven't figured out what it is with thumbs down people lol. But every single video, and I've watched a lot of them!, every single video that I've ever watched on TH-cam has at least 10 thumbss down so I don't think it's personal some people are just like that lol.
@@karenlatham4053 Well, sometimes I post a 10 minute video and before anyone can even watch 10 minutes of it, there's a thumbs down, lol. Sad little people who are lashing out like children, that's all. :-)
Second time watching. I’ve started my pile. Needed to refresh my memory of what you said. Thanks again!
That scrolling compost list had me laughing! Dead toads, half eaten quesadillas, pulp sci-fi novel, half eaten corn dog and sermon notes 😂😂😂😂
You PREACH the GOSPEL, too? That's AWESOME!
You are really adding to my limited knowledge lol. Been gardening for about 8 years and not been doing some things right. Thank you for taking the time to share your learning with us
Thanks for watching, hope your garden does well!
I would avoid placing in the compost pile a few plants such as garlic, onion, rhubarb leaves, and potatoes leaves. onion and garlic cause the compost to stink, rhubarb may poison microbes living in the compost, and potato leaves quite often have viruses which if spread in the garden, may destroy all potato crops, so you won't be able to plant potatoes for 4-5 years.
I like your dry humor. Thank you for sharing!!!
your doggo biting the hose gave me a fright. that made my day thank you ! :D
I am new to gardening. Much appreciate learning from your channel. Thank you.
We copied your compost 3 bin design. Having cleared our old neglected garden to start fresh we had a fair amount of material to add to our compost bin. We added some cardboard and paper. The odd egg box and shells plus the usual potato and other vegetable scraps from my kitchen. We turned it over yesterday to add air and was very surprised how well its already broken down in such a short time. It was lovely and warm in the middle so i guess were doing something right. Were going to follow the next stage and add some more unusual ingredients. I didnt know you could add smoothies chicken stock and cooked veggies. Might as well chuck it in and see what happens. Thanks so much for all your advice. Before now we would of bagged everything up and taken all this material to the local recycling centre and used up loads of plastic bags fuel in the car and lots of time that we could of spent gardening. Now we throw it in the compost bin and walk away. The added bonus will be a large amount of rich compost we wont have to buy.. wish we had know all this info years ago. So pleased i found your videos. You have helped us a lot and our little veggie garden. Thank you
Thank you Nicola for the encouraging words and sharing your experiences. I'm very glad you are gardening and that something I have done is useful to you. You can compost those more unusual things but they need an active pile to put them in or you will get the rotting stench. That's the key to minimal smell - hot compost. Thanks for taking time to share. :-)
Congratulations!! I you have convinced me to start composting. Got a perfect spot for composting. Thanks Scott for the inspiration!!
This was great. A Little humour mixed in too. Love the composting bad theology bit : )
Hi 👋
Found this on your playlist .
God bless
Mrs Josette Tharp
Montgomery County, Texas 🙏🏻
Love the way you teach us all kind of things about gardening. You are my favorit on You Tube!
Greetings from the Netherlands.
Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it!
I'm learning so much from power watching your videos!! Thank you!!
This video is a life saver! I just built the same pallet compost bins as an upgrade with a vague idea doubting myself and you answered questions I didn’t even knew I had!
First time watching you, and Phoebe SCARED the COMPOST outta me!! 😂🤦🏼♀️😳🤪
Another great video Mr. Scott. Compost is great stuff to have. Love how you do it your way and it works for you. Proof is in your videos. Keep up the good work buddy!
Thanks man, I really appreciate your comments, you are also one of those who proves their methods by showing results. :-)
Do you know how happy you saying "just throw everything on the ground made me?"!😂😂but I do realize I need a bin! To contain this yucky goodness!
This is next on my list.i had 2 loads of wood chips brought in last fall & it's a rich black soil.my garden is fluorishing.makes me happy.ty lol your dog
The dog. Yes, she's a crazy one. :-)
Another great video! :) Just to make something a bit more clear:
A 30:1 ratio between carbon and nitrogen doesn't mean you have to put 30 times more browns than greens into your compost. Even fresh grass clippings have a 20:1 C to N ratio. Thus, the desired ratio is not that difficult to achieve. Also, a lof of the carbon will get used in the process so the final compost will have a ratio of about 15:1 C to N.
I love your videos and I especially liked this one. Compost is the basis for all my gardens and potted plants. I rarely add anything else other than water.
Many, many years ago I became intrigued with the idea of using compost tea. I used both aerobic and anaerobic approaches. I had buckets of stinky anaerobic compost in various parts of my garden, along side several buckets with air pumps and ingredients such as molasses and beer. I did this for several seasons. One day, my wife (a non-gardener) asked me to explain how this compost tea worked. After I gave her the explanation, she then asked me something like, "but how do you KNOW it works?? I think she was tiring of the smell. But from her comments I could tell she wasn't convinced.
To satisfy her, I agreed to reserve two of my eight raised beds to "non compost tea" for two seasons and do a comparison. The result? Well, I lost the debate. Good lesson for me. Now I challenge all my gardening practices and I've found it has made me a simpler gardener.
Gardening is all about different strokes for different folks. What works (or doesn't) for me may (or may not) work for you. I still kinda wish that compost tea worked for me like it does for so many others.
Cheers.
Hi Mr. Black Gumbo new subscriber I am now staring up my potted kitchen garden and I love all your videos. Great informative stuff you show. You dont worry about the haters they will hate you just keep making great videos. Love from Trinidad and Tobago ❤❤🇹🇹
Your dog Phoebe loves water from a hose as my dog Kiri. I chuckle seeing Phoebe bite at the water. 😀
Thank you for your video on composing. Very much helped me understand it better. Lots of things I can put into my compost I didn’t know one could.
I enjoy your videos!
I’m really enjoying your videos , glad I found you and I love your dog!! So cute with the hose!!!
I really enjoy composting. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your advice. I inherited about 80 gallons of used compost and amended it. When some of our annuals died, my wife (an accomplished horticulturist) said that the potting soil that I made was too heavy and holding too much water. Almost all of the organic materials are gone, so I plan to blend it 50-50 with composted pine bark.
Great video. I 've made the stinky compost but didn't know you could make it from finished compost, and in just a few days!! And that you could use it in turn, to supercharge your compost!!! Woo hoo!
Something about composting your sermons makes me chuckle. We had an old preacher friend who said his sermons were like baloney--good anywhere you cut it off. lol
I saw that cicada shell, lol! Homeschooling family here too and we always have those ending up in weird spots (from kids toting them around). :)
I love your channel! Please keep posting
I compost everything, make compost and weed tea. Also trench compost. All winter I bury the stinky stuff in the garden and by spring it's gone.
I've buried meat scraps in pumpkin pits and they should give my winter pumpkins a great boost. Good to meet a fellow composter, thanks for watching our video!
@@ScottHead
Man u r amazing.
Well explained.
I m gonna try for sure.
Ur videos encourage me to do more gardening.
ThankS alot
Do u have video for making raise beds?
I love to see how u convert ur back yard into a garden😍
😊😊
@@ScottHead so even mold food is good ?
Thanks for the great info and for the comic relief (your pup REALLY likes that water spray!). I've watched a couple of your videos now and you have a new subscriber 😊
All those NAR, PG and WOF books in that pile 😂 I noticed Luther
I like these videos - thanks for sharing. I started composting this year (saved all my maple leaves), use my lawn cuttings and bam! got some heat going - I use a couple of Geobin's that OYR uses - they work great. Simple design, and they don't look to bad either. I'm finding hard to compost a lot of our kitchen scraps because my family takes the easy way out and usually throw their food scraps in the garbage, so half the battle for me is getting the family to put their scraps in our little compost container... I just can't believe how easy making compost is, I wish I would have started a long time ago.
Thanks again for making these videos and sharing your experiences.👌
Thanks for commenting, and yes, getting the family on board and changing habits just takes time. I found a banana peel in the trash the other day, and had to fish it out, lol. My wife is 100% on board and enthusiastic, so for me its not as hard these days. Took some time though. :-)
Thank you for great and helpful info, 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻you’ve answered so many questions I had and so many great tips on compost. Many Many thanks!
110F outside and 130F in the compost pile, sounds about right! Good thorough description and explanation of your methods, thanks!
No rules, compost happens!
I should use more junk mail and paper towels for carbon sources. I'm that weird guy that goes around snagging everyone's brown bags full of leaves every fall. I load up my SUV with them and bring them home. I shred them down with the mower into almost a powder, store them in plastic bags and use them in the chicken run and compost piles as needed until about this time of year when I run out. So Summer becomes this thick layer of grass clippings until late October rolls around.
I lurk the streets looking for compost fodder too! Fall will be good this year now that I have lots of space to fill.
It was so hot this summer, I went to check my compost & it was bubbling!!! It was way to wet, I added some dirt out of the yard & stirred it up. Now I notice that it's really wet again....I'm gonna do like you & add some paper to it. Thanks for the video!
I have a dirty little secret lol 😆. One of my husband's friends has started dumpster diving... At Aldi, lots of organic produce is being thrown out... Apparently here in Tyler Texas it's not illegal to dumpster dive as long as it's not fenced or doesn't say no trespassing.
😝 my husband went with and he comes home toting like six very large boxes worth of produce in different stages of rotten.. So I spent a few days chopping stuff up and layering it with leaves and brush from our yard. It's pretty cheap compost pile lol.
This is my first actual compost pile so I wasn't sure how often I'm supposed to turn this stuff.
Great source of compost material! I just turn when the heat starts to drop a bit or whenever I have the unction to do so. I have an Aldo nearby, might have to drive back there and see what is available for free. :-)
@@ScottHead by the way , it seems that they have a big dumping every two weeks here. Our friend goes out there at 9:30 every two weeks. All the employees are getting what they want and then our friend gets what he wants to feed his dogs.
I guess you could ask or just test it.. I wouldn't want to gather stuff that's been sitting out in the heat and what not you know.
You are so brave with your compost. I "clean compost" but out in the open ground. I also need lots of dirt. I dont like buying it. I have a leaf compost and a woodchip compost. Eggshells and coffee grounds waiting in the wings to add later to the garden. Great videos!
Ok, learned a lot! Still not sure I am up to composting. I live 12 miles from nearest town, have exotic birds who get fresh fruits, veggies, & grains mash every day - which I feed leftovers to the deer, so will probably continue to purchase prepackaged compost materials but really enjoyed your watching your approach to composting. Thank you!
I gotta admit I prefer your method over all I've seen so far!👌👀❤I'm squeamish about worms! And rotting stuffs 😂 Hope I can get through this!
I have a balcony garden and I found a COOLER WITH WHEELS works great! Plus it has a drain spout for the “compost tea” I have earthworms in there too so I just prop the lid up a little so it can get air and then put a thin cloth over the hole where the drain in (on the inside so no wormies get stuck and it filters the water for me) it’s easy to move and I have it under a table. The only KINDA HARD THING is getting under the spout to catch the water - I use an oil catch pan…
Will be using your methods on my compost bins this year, they need an upgrade and this will do nicely, thanks for the great information.
I enjoy the longer clips Scott!
Me too!
Awesome advice! I will put my compost into a wheel barrel and then drown it with water. 2 things happen: 1. It will get out all the creepy-crawly 's that I don't want in my garden bed (I try to save as many worms as possible first). 2. Makes awesome compost tea. However I do have a comment about your potty mix. I've only recently discovered that peat moss is in unreplaceable resource that we are using up drastically. Europe and I think some other countries have banned the use of it. I now use coco cir (coconut fiber) instead of peat moss. Works just as well. Save our peat moss bogs :)
I have a huge pot with a makeshift lid. At the end of the season, I dump my used soil into it and add kitchen scraps and paper over the winter. I cover the scraps with soil and by spring...Presto! Rich potting soil.
Appreciate the video; it answered some key questions I had.
I really enjoyed your compost videos.
Sermon notes and bad theology books. Ha! I'll have to try that. Thanks, Scott!
Hey there! New sub near Kingwood! Excited to learn more. Thanks!
Sermon notes 😂. Even our veggies need the word of the LORD - Amen. Lol
Hey Scott! Another great video. Thank you! I noticed that we have that very same little crock compost container for the kitchen... we also have that same dark green wagon. 😂
Great minds and all...
Yep, nice little crock, not big enough though. And the wagon is exceptional, I'll never have a wheelbarrow again.
@@ScottHead yep. We have to empty the crock daily, but I still like it. I cut carbon filters to fit inside the lid from an extra one from a HEPA whole room filter. Love the wagon too! It is SOOO handy!
Scott one thing I do is save a few shovels full to start a new batch . Then like you the skys the limit.
I like to use my paper shredder on paper, junk mail and light cardboard (that cleans the shredder teeth too!) for brown dry stuff in our compost. I also found black soldier fly grubs love stuff like oil or protein, so they'll handle a lot of stuff people tell you not to use. I haven't been including bones or animal waste, but do include aged soup/casseroles. Before the quarantine in March, I was collecting 5 gallon buckets of coffee grounds from some of our local cafes - this is fine grind moist stuff. Similar to grass clippings, I found I gotta mix with dry stuff to break it up.
Scott, I have a very small area, and I'm enjoying your comments on how to amend this very poor subdivision topsoil that the builder left for us to dream about planting. I have about 20 fig tree rootings going including four that are fully leafed out. My wife wants me to plant a small above ground garden area in the back for a few vegetables. I am already sold on above ground planing techniques like those you use with your cement blocks; I've done in before with heavy boards and fill dirt and fertilizer. What is the best thing I can do this winter to prepare for next spring? (I'm doing my figs in 7-10 gallon buckets for a year or so.) Cardboard has worked well for me in the area from which we moved a couple of years ago. We live in the Memphis, TN area.
You can lay down cardboard directly where your garden will go and cover it with some soil. The cardboard will smother what is growing there and will decompose over time. Build your raised bed right on it. :-)
Started 1 balcony bucket for composting in November. It is now April and I have 5 buckets.
2 down thumbers? 🧐 mmmmkayyyy... some people are just odd ducks I guess .. never heard the advice “if you have nothing positive to say,just say nothing?” Your dog is a bit crazy with that water chomping ... 😂
Great instructional video Scott!
Thanks very much, Bob!
Thank you ! Just found your channel and subscribe. Putting in raised beds for the first time.
You have just inspired me.thankyou.🙂
A very good addition to compost is soil added on top of a layer of dry organic matter covered with wet organic matter the soil keeps the compost from stinking. The compost is built up each time adding a good layer of dry matter then wet matter and than soil just to cover the pile. Microbes from the soil will speed up the process of breaking up the compost. In cold climates, might cover with a dark tarp. It helps with heating the pile so the microbes start working faster and the whole process will go faster.
I have been composting in 20ltr buckets since long and always have compost available. It take 2.5 months in spring and summer for me to fully compost and save it for next year use.
Awesome video Scott! 👍
Thanks! 👍
It really is a science. Ive been using worm bins for composting the kitchen scraps but after about 8 months theres only 2 bins of worm compost, which I cannot wait to use finally. But I was afraid to put scraps in the leaf pile because of varmints!! Even if I use fish fertilithe raccoons come from somewhere! But I guess I can bury it under the leaf pile? What if it doesn't get hot? Also how long does it take? Just when it looks like dirt?
And can I use fireplace ashes to put in compost?
Thank you.
Why are there two thumbs down??
How could ANYBODY downthumb Scott's videos?? Maybe by accident?
No, I have some legit haters. One of my mentors used to say "You know a man by his enemies." Count it all joy, ;-)
@@ScottHead how could you POSSIBLY have haters??
Jeeze...
In my garbage can composting container I've taken a 4' pic pipe and drilled holes in it and stuck it in a couple of places to help aerate the pile works rather well.
Love the dog part.
Great info. I've tried for a couple of years to compost in 35 gallon trash cans. I've hole sawed big holes for air. My piles start to get hot (110F) but then cool down. I dump and remix and repeat. And I always get Black Soldier Fly grubs. Once the BSFs show up, the pile gets very wet and no longer heats up. The BSFs make fast work of any added food scraps and the pile never stinks and I can use the result in my garden but I'd really like to get fluffy compost. So my question: How to I avoid getting the BSFs? Do open piles have less of an issue? Do I need a bigger pile that gets hotter? (Ok Questions :-)
I don't think there is a way to avoid them, but they are actually helping even if the pile stalls out. They will be gone in a while and you can re-start the pile. I know the stink is an issue.
This sounds more like sense to me, I’m on my own so don’t make to much but add to it every day. By the way love your corgis❤️
Tfs and God Bless 😊 can you put potatoes that are going bad in the compost?
Yes, the rotten-er, the better!
I'm enjoying your videos. And, just getting started. Is it possible to compost in a covered metal barrel or garbage can? Do you think by rolling the can around several times would be like turning the compost? I live in southern Nevada and I don't think heat will be a factor except for winter months. And, winters here are very mild. Thank you. I hope to hear from you.
Yes, you can easily compost in a trash can, I did for years but never turned it. It was slower to compost than turned bin, so your idea of rolling it sounds pretty good.
Oh! I also add sand/leaves/ paper on the top layer to prevent any smell or fruit flies
Great video/info!
Sorry to bother you. I am not in close proximity to the garden but had tried saving food scraps which ended up in a 5 gal. Pail. Well it surely decomposted and probably smells as good as your fish compost bucket. Now, should I water this down further and add to the compost or watered down into the garden? I never thought it would decompose to that state. How do I put it to best use? Thank you for your education and answers.
Yeah dilute it down a bit. If it has no water in it already, make a compost tea, fill the bucket wth water and let it sit a few days. Then use that tea. Some do 10 parts water to one part compost brew, some do 5:1 Depends on how rich you think it is.
When do you stop adding to a pile ? Like when do you leave it alone & start a new one ??
Depends on how fast you need it done. I really should turn this pile into the next bin now and start a fresh pile of coarse stuff. Haven't had the energy to do so yet with the heat. :-)
Scott I live in the hot Mojave desert and made a compost barrel from a 55 gal plastic drum. As the weather is heating up I'm wondering if I should move my composter into the shade or just let it bake in the sun. Can you fill me in?
Just let it bake. The compost can take up to 165F without any adverse effects.
I live in michigan will i be able to compost in the winter or will it need heat
Love that Rod idea and how you have your son with you
Love it have you tried composting direct with kitchen scraps? God bless
I have, particularly in a squash pit. Squashes are on plant that doesn't mind unfinished or active compost.
th-cam.com/video/P4jo-QkWaPo/w-d-xo.html
I've watched your videos for a while now and really enjoy them. I even had the opportunity to pass on the Graze On information to a lady whose husband uses it.
In other videos, you have 3 compost bins. Why?
Can compost tea be made from incomplete compost?
We have access to a lot of large, flat cardboard. Will it shed water enough to cover the bin when it rains a lot?
I have three bins for a progressive compost cycle. The idea is to turn one bin into the other, add fresh material to the open bin, and after three turns the compost should be finished. Hope that makes sense. I only use two these days.
Thank you.
Hello Scott. This was a great video. How often to you turn your compost? Do you turn within the same bin or do you move it over to an open bin putting the new on the bottom? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Since I generally only tap into my compost once or maybe twice a year, I turn it in the same bin when I notice the temperature getting low. Active compost usually happens only on the top half, everything below is done. I'll scrape off the top coarse unfinished compost when I need some, and sift the finished compost ino my wagon. Having a big tarp is real handy here o put the unfinished compost on. When the unfinished stuff goes back into the bin it makes a nice inoculant for the stuff that goes in through the rest of the year. I usually do 1 year cycles, I'm no really into speedy compost, but do like to get a hot pile.
Just watched 3 videos from you and they are so informative. Thanks. For composting, is it safe to use grass cuttings if we are using weed killers on the grass?
I would avoid grass with weed killers, especially if the weed killer has clopyralid, picloram, triclopyr, or aminopyralids in it. Most weed killers target dicot (broadleaf) weeds, while grass is a monocot and is left unharmed. The problem is that most of what we want to grow in our garden is broadleaf, and any persistent or residual weed killer will stunt or kill your crop. Personally, I would not use it, but if I did need to do so, I'd age the resulting compost a year or so.
Scott. I liked and subscribed. Been watching your videos all morning. I haven't found anything on your videos about using human urine in your compost or on your garden. Do you use it. ?
In my compost bin yes, occasionally. Gets a stalled pile hot again if you turn it at the same time.
Hey! I have 3 metal bins once used in a cloth factory. The wire is 4 gauge and has openings 2"x 4". The bottom does not sit on the ground, it is probably 3 or 4 inches off the ground. My question is this: does the compost have to touch the ground? I am sure some of it is breaking down and touching.
No you don't have to compost on the ground. I do because it helps me in my situation to get life up fropm the native ground and to improve that clay down there so I can some day plant in it.
I have big 4 compost bins , I am finding difficulties turning it, as result decomption delaying and I have to buy copost. T urning with big garden fork hard, is there any ea sy methord and way . Thanks.
Awesome video! Do you have any ideas on how to easily turn the compost in the pallet bins? Also do you add tomato vines to your bins and do you chop them before you add them?
Take the front off to get a real thorough turn. I do compost tomato plants, and usually just rough chop them. I don't compost them if they were blighted.
@@ScottHead Thanks for your help! Have a great day.
U r a pro 👍👍bless ur efforts 🙏🙏🙏
Hello again. My vacuum bags are basically a brown paper bag. Can I compost the whole thing, dog hair and all?
If its paper, yes. Some have a plastic inner layer. Easy enough ti pick out later.
I love composting too. We live in the city and our backyard is small and narrow however that will not stop me from having plants and vegetables and my compost. Oh I wish I can have a big compost like yours maybe someday, lol!!!
I use ordinary plastic containers from Walmart and huge trash containers and that seems to work for me. It’s mostly cold composting but hey in few months or so I have ready organic stuff for my containers and small raise beds.
What’s the name of your dog- she’s just way too playing with the water.
Thanks for yoru comments, Ramona. Our dog's name is Phoebe, and she even has her own episode. :-)
Scott Head - Black Gumbo
Really, I will search for it later. Tell Phoebe she has a new friend from Monterey county , California!
Here it is: th-cam.com/video/ObSu3Aorftw/w-d-xo.html
After watching this, I have started a bin...it's only a 10 gallon locking rubbermaid container but it's all I had on hand. Question to you. I've read that you should not turn for at least 4 weeks. What do you recommend? Should I be turning more often? Thanks!
Let it get warm inside, give it several weeks to do so, then turn it. There's no set time, you just need it to be warm inside (well, hot, not just a little warm).
@@ScottHead Thanks for the tip!
I use a paper sack to collect the mail that is not important. I shred them and I also burn them in my fire pit. I put the potash in the compost bins and also sprinkle it around the lawn
It has rained a lot on my compost many times.
And I got good works in it. But I get magets compost in mine too, but I am new at this I think that is normal but not sure if it is ok or not 😬 . Can you please let us newbes know? Thanks.
Yes, maggots and worms and various creatures are just fine in the compost pile. They actually help break down the material much faster than the bacteria. And then, when they mature, the maggots fly away as flies. The Circle of Life Goes On.
How long does it take to compost and how does compost fair in winters? Just a question from a beginning gardener in central PA.
If you pay attention to layering nitrogen and carbon you can get compost in a couple of months. I strongly recommend David the Good's book "Compost Everything." Good how-to manual on compost.
@@ScottHead Great! Thank you so much.
Great info here
Thanks for the information
Your son is so funny 😆
I forgot to mention I add coffee grounds and eggshells also
If i made those wire compost bins like the one you showed can i still put in kitchen scraps in it? How long does compost need to sit before turning it? And is compost enough of a NPK that i wouldnt have to give my plants any other store bought fertilizer?
You can, I'd put kitchen scraps in the middle of the compost pile. And yes, if you have a diversity of materials going in,it can be sufficient to feed a garden by itself. Toss some clay in your compost too for mineral content, and if you live near a beach, get some seaweed for the great micro-nutrients and minerals it accumulates.
@@ScottHead thank you! You know your the only youtuber that has answered those questions for me. Making compost is still just a little bit confusing but youve helped clear up a few basics for me. So many people have different views on it, ways to make compost bins. It gets to be a headache watching all the dos and donts and "make this its better then that". You seriously have the best channel out there by far!!!